A New York City Police (NYPD) officer was charged for allegedly using a chokehold that was outlawed after the 2020 murder of George Floyd.
Omar Habib, 40, was arrested on Thursday and arraigned in Bronx County on second-degree Strangulation second-degree Criminal Obstruction of Breathing or Blood Circulation, third-degree Assault and Unlawful Methods of Restraint, according to a press release from Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark.
On July 29, 2023, Habib was on duty when he responded to a call at a catering hall in the Bronx. When a “drunk and disorderly” man refused to be placed under arrest, Habib allegedly put him in a chokehold so tightly that it stopped the man’s breathing and circulation, making him temporarily lose consciousness.
Jacob Z. Weinstein, Habib’s attorney, told Newsweek via email on Friday afternoon that Habib “will be full[y] vindicated of all charges.”